On March 15th, it was announced that voice actress Miho Okazaki was selected as the winner of the Lead Voice Actor Award at the 19th Seiyu Awards, which is given to the voice actress who has been most active in the past year. Okazaki, who is known for her role as Rimuru, the main character in That Time That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, appeared at the awards ceremony held at the Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Media Plus Hall (Minato Ward, Tokyo) on the same day. She said that her childhood dream was to become a wizard, and that "I believe this industry has the power to create a world where the power of such dreams can shine without denying it. I'm happy to think that I could become one of those wizards through my work as a voice actress, and I would like to become an actor who can encourage small children, just like I did some time ago."
The Best Voice Actor award went to Seki Toshihiko, who also made headlines for his role as Kitaro's father in the animated film "The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe."
The Seiyuu Awards were established in 2006 and are co-sponsored by KADOKAWA, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, and Shogakukan Shueisha Productions. The 14 categories other than MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu, the most active voice actor chosen by fans) are selected by the executive committee and the selection committee. The 19th awards will be open to voice actors who appeared in works broadcast, streamed, or released between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.